Fixing the Last Jedi
by Joy
Summary: What if Chewie was more than the family dog? What if Luke acted like a Jedi? What if Holdo knew how to communicate? What would actually happen if force ghosts could interact with the physical world? Just how shady was the source for the information on Rey's parentage? A series of sometimes connected shorts.
1. Chewbacca is not an animal sidekick

**Chapter One: Chewbacca is not an animal sidekick**

Luke Skywalker was hiding.

He wasn't hiding particularly well, since ducking into the only hut with a door and locking it behind him while being followed wasn't very subtle. He'd never been very good at hide-and-seek. Growing up on Tatooine the game had consisted of ducking behind a dune, hiding under the sand or crouching behind the only rock in the area.

Unsurprisingly, hide-and-seek hadn't been very popular on Tatooine. Particularly after one too many children injured themselves burying themselves in the sand. And then there was the time someone unearthed a baby Sarlaac.

Luke didn't like to think about that incident. There were a lot of things he avoided thinking about.

His sister, his brother-in-law, his friends, his murdered students, his fallen students, his fascist-fanboy nephew, his non-existent love life, who the heck Snoke was, why he'd come to Ach-to in the first place, where he'd left his lightsaber, where he'd parked his x-wing, who thought storing actual books in a _tree_ on a damp island was a good idea…

One the other hand he thought about why the Jedi should end a lot. And dying. Waiting to die. It probably wasn't healthy. He'd talk to Leia and Han about it but that wasn't possible while he was hiding out on a chilly, damp island that made his Tatooine raised bones ache in his old age.

Why was he here again?

Luke was jolted from his spiraling thoughts by a pounding on his door several magnitudes louder than the strange girl's previous efforts. More forceful too; the door flew off its hinges and crashed into the opposite wall.

How rude, he thought, decades spent in 3CPO's company rubbing off on him.

"Chewie?" he exclaimed, recognising the cranky roar and surprised to see his old friend in the doorway. The Wookiee looked – and sounded – a bit pissed off. Luke ignored that, noticing that while the girl was hovering behind, someone (two someones even) was absent. "Where's Han?"

* * *

Chewbacca took in the sparse living quarters of his old friend and sighed at what the Jedi Master had been reduced to. It wasn't the austerity that troubled him. He'd been alive long enough to remember the flourishing Jedi order of the Republic before the Empire; they hadn't worn simple robes merely to blend in with the common people.

No, it was the man himself who worried Chewbacca. Where was his hopeful optimism, his deep compassion that had reached Darth Vader himself? Where was the wise and thoughtful Jedi he'd grown into after confronting the Sith? Where was the caring friend who'd thrown himself into danger to protect his friends? Chewbacca had already watched one dear friend fall apart and die over the fall of Ben Solo; he couldn't bear it a second time.

Chewbacca explained the situation as well as he could, which was difficult with Han's death still so near. Rey finished with the official request from the Resistance for Luke's aid. Chewbacca still wasn't sure why Leia hadn't come herself. Not taking possession of Anakin's old lightsaber made some sense due to her complicated feelings regarding her birth father. But avoiding her brother? Was she holding a grudge for Luke blocking off their connection so she couldn't find him? Rey needed Jedi training, but there was no reason Leia couldn't have come too.

Stubborn Skywalkers, Chewbacca cursed inwardly.

"Go away," Luke told Rey, "I'm not coming." Chewbacca repeated his curse aloud. "There's nothing you can say that will convince me otherwise," he told the Wookiee.

Chewbacca tried anyway. That's what friends did. "Your sister needs you," he growled.

"Leia's strong."

"The republic needs the Jedi."

"I thought you said the republic was destroyed and the First Order has taken over?"

"The Hosnian system wasn't the entire Galactic Republic," Chewbacca nearly rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that didn't make much sense…" the Jedi muttered. "But it's time for the Jedi to end."

Chewbacca said a very vile word that didn't quite translate to basic. It lasted for five full seconds and Rey's eyes were wide at the end of it.

Luke had grown up on Tatooine and spent his young adulthood fighting in the Rebellion. He didn't so much as blink. "The force doesn't need the Jedi, it's vanity to say otherwise."

"Why will protect the galaxy from the perversions of the dark side?" Chewbacca asked. He didn't usually indulge in philosophy but he'd fought beside Jedi during the clone wars and had picked up a few things. He picked up just as much from Luke himself as he was piecing the Jedi Order back together.

Luke hesitated.

"Who will train force sensitives and give them the tools to fight the temptations of the dark?"

"Well, it shouldn't be the Jedi," Luke said defensively.

"You want a group of benevolent force users who perform the same function as the Jedi…to not be Jedi?" Chewbacca was almost embarrassed for his old friend to be saying something so nonsensical.

"I can't win a war singlehanded with my 'laser sword'," Luke switched arguments and Chewbacca realised words wouldn't be enough.

A 'laser sword', who even said that? Hearing his friend denigrate the noble weapon of a Jedi was the last straw. Chewbacca went with his initial impulse and simply picked up the Jedi master, carrying him out the door.

Luke complained of course. Loudly and at length with curses that made Rey's eyebrows drift up to her hairline and wish she wasn't quite so fluent in Huttese.

"Bring his things," Chewbacca told the girl. He was having unwelcome flashbacks to the many times he'd had to pick up a tantruming Ben Solo as a child.

Rey blinked out of her shock and quickly tossed Luke's few belongings onto the bed, tying them into a bundle with the blanket. This wasn't how she'd pictured things going - even so recently as the first minute she'd held the saber out to Luke - but Chewbacca had known the man for decades and she'd bow to his greater knowledge.

Chewbacca heard Rey clatter down the many stairs after him and nodded approvingly. He would let her pilot the Falcon back to the resistance. She was the one with the beacon and he still wasn't quite up to sitting in Han's chair.

It was slightly tricky carrying a protesting adult down to where the Falcon was but since Luke hadn't simply used the force to free himself, Chewbacca didn't think Luke's protests were too genuine. Creative and filthy but not genuine.

It worried him that Luke wasn't using the force. But then had anything happened on this island that made the slightest bit of sense? Chewbacca wasn't too worried though; Leia would sort him out.

Which probably meant Luke should be the worried one.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

So, I saw the Last Jedi (weeks ago now) and it made me turn to fanfic. This is the first of several "what ifs" or extrapolations on the many plot holes.

I plan on regular updates (I have a few chapters up my sleeve).

Stay tuned for _Chapter Two: The lightsaber on the armrest_


	2. The Saber on the Armrest

**The Saber on the Armrest**

 _Note: Not for those who like to woobie-fy Kylo Ren._

* * *

Rey watched powerlessly as Kylo Ren prepared to execute her on his Supreme Leader's word. How arrogant had she been to think that she – a total stranger who barely knew him – could turn him back to the light when his own family; Master Skywalker, General Leia and Captain Solo failed.

She'd seen him murder his own father in cold blood when Han tried to save him from his own choices. Kylo had then gone on to injure Finn – her first and best friend – so badly that she still didn't know if he would ever wake up. Ignoring his painful violation of her mind (while she cried and fought with everything in her and still failed to keep him out), Rey could recognise as a survival mechanism. If she pretended it never happened, she wouldn't have to deal with it. She had grown up as a Jakku scavenger; there was a lot to repress.

What had Snoke done to her? Shoving the pair of them together with the Force, like a child with dolls. Mashing them together and ordering them to kiss. The thought of kissing Kylo made her nauseous; repressing the mind rape didn't prevent her body's visceral reaction to him.

It occurred to her (as Kylo took his sweet time to get his lightsaber ready and Snoke foamed at the mouth and got disturbingly excited) that Kylo had never so much as answered her questions during their forced communications. He'd been so cruel to her. Why had she even thought of opening up to him? Trusted a Force vision blindly that even now grew fuzzy in her mind?

Rey regretted not going to Master Skywalker for help as soon as she'd experienced the Force bond. Why hadn't she?

And why was Kylo taking so long to kill her?

Rey refocused on Kylo and saw him fidgeting weirdly with his hands. He still hadn't ignited his lightsaber. She peeked over at Snoke and saw that he was looking more snidely smug than ever – which she hadn't thought was possible. He was also staring at Kylo Ren.

Kylo's free hand fidgeted again and Rey _felt_ the surge in the Force that seemed to be targeted towards…Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber? She gasped and took another look at Snoke's face. The Supreme Leader knew exactly what his apprentice was trying to do and was enjoying every moment of preventing him.

"Does something trouble you, my young apprentice?" Snoke's words dripped with false concern.

"No," Kylo said a bit too quickly, as sullenly defensive as a sulking teenager. It was sometimes hard to remember he was a grown man more than a decade older than her, with the way he acted. He made another more overt hand gesture but the lightsaber didn't so much as twitch.

"Are you sure?" Snoke taunted.

"Yes," Kylo's shoulders hunched, continuing to avoid looking at his master. He was pretty much waving his hand around now. Rey nearly laughed.

"Liar."

Kylo finally ignited his saber. Turning to face his master he ignored Rey and wasn't the only one.

"Coward," Snoke's sneer was magnificent as he confronted his apprentice. "Not even brave enough to attack me openly. That's how you slaughtered your fellow students, wasn't it? Attacking at night when their defences were down."

"I-" Whatever Kylo was going to say to defend himself, Snoke cut him off with a mocking laugh.

"I am not some half trained Force sensitive you can kill with petty tricks, boy! I am a master of the dark side, beyond any Jedi or Sith. There is nothing I am not aware of!"

There was a polite cough from the entrance and everyone turned to see Jedi Master Luke Skywalker standing just inside the room.

"I hope you don't mind," Luke said dryly, "but I let myself in. You have something of mine." He reached out a gloved hand and the lightsaber that hadn't budged for Kylo Ren went to him in an eyeblink.

Rey knew this because she blinked when she saw him and he was holding the lightsaber when her eyes opened again.

"Master Skywalker," she cried out happily. Not just for the rescue but for the legendary Jedi behaving like a Jedi.

"How did you get here?" Kylo demanded petulantly, turning to face his uncle.

The praetorian guards arranged against the wall did some fancy moves but didn't attack without an order from their leader. A leader who was busy gaping in shock.

Rey smirked at the sight. Did the master of the dark side who bragged of giving false Force visions not receive any real Force visions?

"I am a Jedi," Luke gave his nephew a pitying look, as though he couldn't quite believe he'd asked such a stupid question. "And an army of soldiers brainwashed since childhood don't have very strong wills."

"You make that sound like a bad thing, Jedi," Snoke leered, recovering his wits and settling into his throne for some good old fashioned trash talk.

"In this case it allowed me to spare many lives," Luke said mildly, striding forward as casually as a man who wasn't surrounded by two agents of the dark side, a handful of praetorian guards and a half trained girl who'd attacked him the last time they met.

"I was so disappointed when I heard you'd given up," Snoke continued snidely, "that this girl was the last Jedi."

"I know the dark side likes short cuts," Luke said, "but it takes more than an aborted meditation lesson to become a Jedi."

Rey squirmed. Surely it wasn't entirely her fault she had no training? She'd been willing to do the work, but he hadn't wanted to teach her. Conscience reminded her that she hadn't been willing to listen to him. She had in fact turned to the emotionally unstable murderer who'd tortured her and slaughtered his own father instead.

"Kill him," Snoke ordered his minions.

Rey scrambled out of the way; without a weapon she knew she wouldn't be of much use.

Kylo stepped back to let the praetorian guard through; cowardice or internal conflict, it made no difference.

Luke didn't so much as ignite his lightsaber. Either his own green one or Anakin's recovered blue one. He didn't even slow his walk as he dealt with them. There were no merciful mind tricks for this group, only creative uses of telekinesis.

Snoke fumed, but didn't look surprised. Rey stared then went to recover a weapon; one had landed conveniently close to her and she was suspicious but Luke wasn't looking at her.

"You're right, Uncle Luke," Kylo suddenly said. "It's gone too far, we need to stop Snoke."

The Jedi gave him a calm look, finally pausing in his advance, although to Rey's eyes he appeared sad. She was suspicious of Kylo but couldn't tell what his angle was. Rey gave up on being able to read him accurately after the forced bond debacle. Why had Chewie even agreed to drop her off with the First Order? It was a stupid plan.

"Traitorous brat!" Snoke yelled, driving himself to his feet. He reached out and pulled Kylo into the air with the Force, levitating him as he'd done Rey earlier.

Luke retaliated with a Force wave that slammed Snoke back into his throne and the throne into the wall. A single golden slipper went flying.

"I've let this go on long enough, Supreme Leader," Luke declared, shrugging his cloak to the ground. He ignited both lightsabers and continued his implacable advance. "It's time for the First Order to end."

* * *

Five minutes later the throne room was in shambles. Rey was panting and nursing some Force-lightning burns, Luke was standing over the decapitated body of the former Supreme Leader and Kylo was dragging himself to his feet and retrieving his lightsaber.

"You did it, Uncle," Kylo said, limping over, lightsaber in hand.

Rey gave him a hard look. Kylo had played it safe during the battle, holding back and letting the Jedi take all the risks and now he sounded…off. Like a child with a secret they were bursting to share. She stepped closer to the pair.

"Ben," Luke said, switching off his lightsabers and turning to face his nephew.

"The light called me back and it's thanks to you," Kylo engulfed the shorter man in a hug. Luke sighed and didn't see Kylo furtively shift his grip on his weapon.

Rey saw. Still in combat mode from fighting Snoke, she reacted instinctively.

Kylo Ren's body hit the floor with a thud, his lightsaber fell to the ground beside him, deactivating as it rolled to a standstill beside its master, equally dead.

Luke sighed again, completely unsurprised. "I'm sorry I failed you, Ben," he said gently, reaching down to close his eyes, "but I did warn you about consequences of the dark side."


	3. Green Milk

**Chapter Three: Green Milk**

 _Note: set after Chapter One_

* * *

It wasn't a very long trip from Ach-to to the Resistance fleet but it was long enough for withdrawal symptoms to kick in. It wasn't pretty.

Luke cursed and flailed and lashed out with the Force so much he had to be sedated while R2-D2 kept watch over him. Rey wished she'd received enough Jedi training so that sedation wasn't necessary; who knew how the drugs were interacting with whatever he'd been hooked on.

To be honest, she wished she'd received any training at all. They hadn't even been there a day. If she'd had longer, maybe she could have convinced Master Skywalker to train her, even if he refused to leave the island.

If she had training she might even be able to use the Force to heal him. Rey had heard all the stories about the Jedi and as much as she wished a Jedi would come through and clear out the scum she lived amongst on Jakku, the ability to heal had a lot of value to a girl who had raised herself.

She could even use it to heal Finn out of his coma.

Rey wondered what Master Skywalker could have possibly been exposed to on that tiny island. Chewbacca's theory was that it was some sort of food or drink that the local's offered him. Why Luke hadn't done the usual tests one did to food when travelling, he couldn't say, but R2-D2 and the instruments on the Falcon hadn't detected anything in the atmosphere. Maybe the water he'd bathed in was contaminated?

Fortunately for all of them, Luke Skywalker was a Jedi Master and as soon as the withdrawal faded enough to cut back on his sedation he entered a Jedi healing trance, clearing the entire problem up in hours.

Rey sat beside R2-D2 and watched Luke enviously. How often could she have used that skill while growing up on Jakku? Medical aid and supplies were scarce and expensive when available. It was sheer luck she hadn't died, living on her own.

"Green milk," Luke suddenly declared, opening his eyes and making Rey jump from fright. A moment ago he'd looked like the dead and now he was ordering beverages?

"Master Skywalker!" Rey cried. R2-D2 added his own excited binary greeting, laced with several curses as was his wont. Rey often wondered if BB8 was going to pick up the older droid's bad habits and how Poe would react to that.

During her brief time with resistance, she'd finally met the resistance pilot Finn had told her about. What a pity it had been that Finn had not been able to introduce them.

Rey pushed back her melancholy thought and focused on Master Skywalker. What was he going on about?

"It was the green milk," Luke repeated, sitting up and pushing the blanket aside. R2-D2 rolled forward with a curious whistle and Luke rested his hand atop the droid affectionately. "I know R2, never drink with the locals unless you know what's in it. Han will never let me hear the end of it…"

Rey fidgeted as the Jedi trailed off sadly. Well this was awkward. Thankfully Chewbacca arrived from the cockpit before she could open her mouth and say something inappropriate. Living a life of solitude on Jakku hadn't made her the best in social situations. It surprised her how well she had done so far, out in the larger galaxy. Perhaps that childhood before Jakku was helping her, even if she couldn't consciously remember it.

Rey desperately wanted to find her family or at least find out what happened to them, why they'd left her behind. Did they love her? But it wasn't time for personal crusades. The Republic, the galaxy needed help. Even with Starkiller base destroyed the First Order must have a few ships left and the Republic had lost the entire Hosnian system, so their leadership was in disarray.

Surely the Resistance was fine, but Rey had a bad feeling and wanted to get back as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the more Chewbacca and R2-D2 explained what had happened during his absence, the more sombre Master Skywalker looked.

"I was on Ach-to for how long?"

R2-D2's precise answer had him lowering his face into his hands. He muttered some unkind things about green milk.

"I know," he said to Chewbacca's chiding growl, "I shouldn't have even tried it, even if the locals insisted it was part of the ritual to visit the ruins." Chewbacca nodded. "But why didn't Leia come looking for me when I went missing?"

R2-D2's shrill and somehow offended whistle explained that Leia had been unable to sense him; his force presence muted beyond the knowledge that he still lived.

"How did you find me?" he asked the Wookiee, glancing over at Rey. "Oh, I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"I'm Rey," she said, then scrambled to her feet and reached for her pack. "I – uh – saved the lightsaber," she offered it to him again.

Luke gently shifted her hold so that she wouldn't impale him on the blade if she accidentally switched it on, before accepting the weapon.

"I haven't seen this since…" he trailed off as he weighed the hilt in his hands. Unlike Rey he angled it away from everyone, so when he ignited it a moment later there were no injuries. Luke made a mental note that if she was suited for Jedi training (he could sense she was strong enough but especially after Ben, he knew it took more than strength in the force to make a Jedi) she was getting extra lightsaber safety lessons.

There was no room for practice swings with everyone huddled so close, so Luke simply gazed at the pale blue blade for a long moment before deactivating it.

"Where did you find it?" he asked, then quickly added, "No, tell me later, that's probably a long story and we-"

"Maz Kanata had it in her storeroom," Rey blurted.

Luke paused. "Not so long after all," he muttered. "You can tell me details later, but Chewie – how _did_ you find me?"

Chewbacca explained about Lor San Tekka, the map and R2-D2 having the rest of it.

"I didn't leave a map," Luke frowned. That also wasn't how space navigation worked. "Why didn't you tell Leia earlier if you knew where I was, R2?"

The droid replied with an expletive laden explanation that while R2-D2 had known where _Ach-to_ was (because he was Luke's droid and added the information to his databanks as soon as Luke told him) he hadn't known that was where _Luke_ had gone until BB8 had told him Lor San Tekka believed that was where Luke was.

Luke sighed; of course. He didn't bother to chide R2-D2 on his language. He felt like swearing himself. "Leia's going to kill me."

Regardless, he closed his eyes and reached out to his twin sister through the Force. Her emotions were a mess. Grief from Ben's fall, Han's death, her son murdering his father, the destruction of the Hosnian system, the loss of lives from their attack on Starkiller base…

Her initial reaction to feeling his presence was relief. Anger came a moment later but she hadn't survived as a senator under the empire without learning to control her temper. Words weren't necessary with their Force bond and they quickly caught up. The minor details could wait.

"Leia's in trouble," Luke said as he opened his eyes. "The Resistance is in trouble. They're being chased by what's left of the First Order."

Chewbacca growled.

"They tried going to lightspeed but the First Order tracked them," Luke explained.

R2-D2 beeped.

Luke shrugged. "A traitor or a tracking device planted in the Resistance sounds more likely than tracking through hyperspace but what do I know, I was stuck on an island for half a decade."

"Why don't they lure the First Order into a trap?" Rey suggested, "jump to where the Republic fleet are waiting for them?" She'd heard how the Resistance was just a tiny fraction of the official Republic military because the politicians in power didn't believe the First Order was a threat and felt their forces were needed elsewhere.

That or they were First Order sympathisers.

Rey hoped that with Leia as the last leader standing, she would be able to whip the Republic back into shape and clean up what was left of the First Order.

"Excellent idea, Rey," Luke said. "We need to contact the fleet. I should still have some influence," he paused and looked down at himself. Still in his worn robes marked with the grime of Ach-to, hair wild and beard shaggy. "Right after I clean up."

He rooted through the makeshift sack Rey had packed his belongings into then headed off to do just that.

Chewbacca went back to the cockpit to start setting up the secure communications. R2-D2 turned his dome to face Rey and beeped reassuringly.

"So that's a Jedi," Rey nodded thoughtfully, buoyed by hope as she hadn't been in so long. It wasn't the powers, which she hadn't really seen him demonstrate; it was the attitude of kindness, perseverance and optimism. There had been too much cynicism in her life; Rey was ready to start believing in something better.


	4. Luke's Journal

**Chapter Four: Luke's Journal**

* * *

 _Excerpts from the Journal of Luke Skywalker_

#1

Jedi school destroyed. Ben's turned to the dark side. Han and Leia understandably upset. I will leave them with R2-D2 while I quickly visit Ach-to.

#2

Arrived on Ach-to. How is there only one island on this planet? At least it shouldn't take long to investigate.

#3

Found a flat spot for the X-wing to land. Was met by the local wildlife; cute bird-like creatures with big eyes.

#4

Sensed the dark side emanating from a spot near the shore. Another cave? Seriously? Note to self: do not investigate.

#5

Got a closer look at the ruins I saw from the air. Strange simple huts that look nothing like any Jedi architecture I've seen before.

#6

Met the locals. They're not against visitors (used to be pilgrims centuries ago) but insist I take care not to damage the ruins. As the ruins are empty and miserable I had no trouble agreeing to their terms.

#7

The big eyed creatures are called Porgs. They're everywhere.

#8

A tree is calling me with the Force.

#9

Who stores honest - to - Force books in a tree?

#10

Read ancient texts. The Jedi code hasn't changed in twenty thousand years. The rest of it is interesting from a historical perspective but contains only basic insights into the force.

#11

Searching the rest of the island for relics.

#12

Too many stairs. Wouldn't want to live here.

#13

No other relics. Not even a holocron.

#14

Locals have invited me to dinner. Bringing my own drinks after I saw where theirs come from.

#15

Porgs seem interested in the X-wing. Had to shoo them away to get to my supplies.

#16

Asked locals about possible hidden relics. They only know about the books. Won't consider storing them somewhere less damp and exposed to the elements.

#17

Where did all the Porgs go?

#18

Politely told caretakers I'd rather not stay overnight in the cold, drafty, damp ruins. Leaving with scans of the texts before they offer me any more green milk.

#19

Found where the Porgs went.

#20

Porgs are trying to eat the X-wing. Or steal it. They've broken into the cockpit and managed to turn the engines on.

#21

Why didn't I bring R2? Note to self: never leave R2 behind again.

#22

X-wing crashed into the sea during battle with Porg colony. Would have lost a hand if it wasn't already mechanical.

#23

Note to self: never mention this incident to Leia or Han. Or Lando. Or Chewie. Or Wedge. Or anyone.

#24

Porgs docile once more. But their eyes follow me.

#25

Lifted X-wing from water to check for salvage; found very little.

#26

Discovered locals have no communications.

#27

The others should come looking for me soon.


	5. Workplace Communication

**Chapter 5 Workplace communication**

* * *

"What's our plan? Do we have a plan?"

Vice admiral Holdo gave up trying to give orders and learn the state of their tiny fleet and gave - former - Commander Poe Dameron her full attention. Leia had demoted him for his stunt against the Dreadnaught and Holdo couldn't blame her. Such a flagrant disregard for his superiors and his squad mates went against everything she'd heard of the man. Putting him back into action so quickly after being captured by the First Order (and she knew what they did to prisoners) had been necessary (and he'd volunteered) but it wasn't helping him recover. She made a mental note to see he got some down time and counselling.

Provided they lived through this.

"Of course I have plan, Captain," she glanced pointedly down at his hand on her arm and he removed it quickly. Good, he wasn't so far gone as to completely ignore professionalism. "I have several."

"Oh," he said, looking down and shuffling his feet a bit. Poe didn't know why he'd thought Leia's choice of next in command - Vice Admiral Holdo herself - wouldn't have a plan. He was still suppressing the guilt he felt at losing nearly everyone he'd led into battle against the dreadnaught. Poe could admit he was a bit of a mess but there was no time to deal with it, not until the Resistance was safe.

Holdo took pity on the man and explained further. Besides, he was an experienced officer and in charge of their fighters; his input would be valuable. "I need more information before I can make any decisions but there are options."

"First option; clear out one of the ships and set it to go to light speed through their capital ship."

Poe blinked, stared for a long moment then cracked a grin. "Funny. I saw that same skit on Coruscant Night Live. If only it worked that way; the rebellion could have just used it on the Death Star instead of needing Luke Skywalker to make a one in a million shot."

"And space combat would look very different," Holdo added, smiling a little herself. Thankfully her little joke had smoothed over their initial tension so she could continue her list knowing he was in the right frame of mind to be helpful. "Another option is we head for the nearby planet of Crait which houses an old Rebel base. Depending on supplies we may need to send everyone down on shuttles and lead them away by setting the _Radus_ autopilot to lightspeed to somewhere else."

Poe frowned. "That would cost us all our ships and most of our supplies and equipment. We already had to leave a lot behind."

"It would be our last resort," Holdo agreed. She'd learnt long ago to have 'last resort plans' even if you were certain of victory. "Another plan is to just keep outrunning them until we pull far enough ahead to make a lightspeed jump out of range of their theoretical tracker."

"Have we checked for normal trackers yet?" Poe asked. He'd heard the stories of how the empire had put a beacon on Princess Leia's ship when she escaped the Death Star. It was possible they'd done the same here and it made far more sense than a technology no one had even heard was possible.

"I gave the order as soon as I got command," she gave him a pointed look that reminded him he'd interrupted her when she was consulting with the other officers. "If we find a beacon we can shift it to a small ship and send it elsewhere when we jump to lightspeed."

"Another option is to remain in this ridiculous slow speed chase until the Republic fleet arrives. Leia sent a signal out when we first evacuated and I've sent another but haven't recieved a response yet. They're in disarray after the loss of the Hosnian system but there are some solid commanders out there who should help". Holdo paused and looked thoughtfully out at the stars, "We don't know yet if it would be wiser to attack them here, or lead the First Order to an area of our choosing."

"I see," Poe said, standing a bit straighter. He felt so much better now that he knew what command was thinking. "Thank you for telling me, Vice Admiral."

"We're not the Empire, captain, or the First Order. There's no need to keep our people in the dark," Holdo chided. "Now I trust you will do your part to keep everyone calm? Leia's injury and the loss of Admiral Ackbar has been a blow to morale we can't afford right now."

"Yes Ma'am," he actually saluted.

"Dismissed," she said.

"I have another option," a voice called from the doorway. The entire room turned to see a robed figure. Several people gasped when he lowered his hood.

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, walked calmly into the room.

"And what would that be, Master Skywalker?" Holdo asked, biting back a gleeful smile. Trust a Jedi to arrive in the nick of time.

"I take my new friends over to the _Supremacy_ ," he gestured back to former stormtrooper Finn and Rose Tico, a code breaker Holdo recognised as the sister to one of those lost on the dreadnaught bombing run, "and put an end to this once and for all."

"I'm coming with you," Leia said, coming up behind them. She showed no signs of her recent injury and was dressed in her more practical uniform, complete with its rank badge.

"Leia," Luke turned to chide her and came face to face with his sister's stubborn expression. "You need to take it easy."

"I may not be a Jedi but I can do a healing trance," Leia retorted, "and you helped too."

Luke sighed the sigh of a brother who knew he'd never convince his sister to change her mind. "Sure, why not?" He said a touch acerbically.

"Let me come too," Poe volunteered, speaking before he registered the words.

"Poe Dameron," Luke said, smiling, "it's good to see you again. Leia's been telling me what you've been up to."

Poe tried hard not to squirm. For all that they were legendary heroes, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca and Lando had known him since he was born and were like uncles and a single aunt to him.

"Are you sure?" Leia asked, watching the young man closely.

"I think I need to," Poe nodded. If only to help with the nightmares, he felt like he had to face Kylo Ren again on his own terms.

Luke and Leia shared a look (and possibly a conversation via the Force) before Luke nodded. "Welcome aboard then, young Dameron."

Leia held a hushed discussion with Holdo while Luke, Finn and Rose explained the plan to Poe. Rose would hack their way past the security to get onto the ship, and Finn would lead them once on board. Luke and Leia would deal with Snoke and Kylo Ren.

It wasn't until they were halfway to their shuttle that Poe remembered something.

"Wait, Master Skywalker, I thought you were on Ach-to? Isn't that where Rey went?" He glanced over at Finn as he mentioned the scavenger girl, knowing their deep friendship.

"Well, that's a funny story," Luke began.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on Ach-to._

Rey was confused. Legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker wasn't acting anything like what she'd expected. And to be honest, she hadn't expected much beyond 'male version of Leia with more Force powers'. She'd met General Leia and Luke was supposed to be her twin brother, right? Why was he acting so strangely?

She was shocked when he'd tossed the lightsaber aside, dismayed when he'd locked his door and told her to go away. But his reaction to the death of Han Solo - his best friend - was so underwhelming that she was more confused than disappointed. He'd barely reacted and virtually ignored Chewbacca. The Wookiee had given up in disgust and now spent his time protecting the Millennium Falcon from the native wildlife. Rey just hoped she could convince Master Skywalker to help before Chewbacca gave up entirely, taking her ride with him.

Rey followed the Jedi around, hounding him for training, some form of action on his part, even an explanation. She was relentless and eventually the old man gave in.

"Rey from nowhere," he said after yet another 'accident' that resulted in damage to the ancient village. The locals were getting antsy. "I have something important to tell you."

"Yes?" Rey asked eagerly. Finally. She felt like she'd been on this island for weeks but it was barely a day. You would think it would be easier to keep track of time while planet-side.

"I am not your father."

"Wait. What?"

"I mean, I am not Luke Skywalker."

Rey stared at him. She blinked, tilted her head. "But you look like him."

"How do you know what Luke Skywalker looks like?" He questioned. "Have you ever met him?"

"Well, no."

"Seen his picture?"

"Uh..." Rey recovered her wits. "Chewie recognised you!"

"That's because I look like Luke Skywalker and I'm not crazy enough to argue with a Wookiee."

Rey had to admit the wisdom in that. "But how come you also have a mechanical right hand?"

"Lightsaber duel," he said as though the answer was obvious. "Why do you think I won't touch them now?"

That made a little too much sense. "Who are you then?" Rey demanded. "And why didn't you tell me I had the wrong person earlier?"

"Earlier? You've been here, what less than a day? I'd say this is pretty soon," he argued.

"Who are you?" She repeated firmly, gripping her staff.

"Luke's clone, Jake Skywalker."

* * *

Note: If they had to have a hacker, it would have made so much more sense if it was Rose...


	6. Free the Space Horses

**Chapter Six: Ignore the Children, Free the Space Horses! (Temporarily)**

 _Note: And now for a cameo from Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO_

* * *

The boy couldn't remember a time before the pain.

Constant beatings and the liberal use of a shock-collar made it hard to think of anything beyond the moment. But sometimes, during the small breaks when he could curl into a ball and nurse his bruises and seared nerve endings, he tried to push his mind back.

There had been a time before the shock collar - he knew this more from how awkward it felt at his neck than any real memory. The beatings were nothing new, but their sheer brutality shocked him; wasn't there an unspoken rule that injuring your slaves enough to require medical treatment was bad business?

The boy's world had been small and harsh it was also one of strict rules. Rules the masters were no longer following. The uncertainty was as terrifying as the pain. Were they going to kill him? Would he prefer death to his current state?

No, he decided as they dragged him from the dark cell, heart pounding against his chest in fear. He wanted to live.

They were taking him somewhere different and he forced his swollen eyes open despite the light that struck his eyeballs like hot skewers. Was this it? Fear turned to terror and consumed him. Without conscious thought he began to struggle but he was small and weak and injured. The guard didn't even slow down as he took an unfamiliar winding route. Slaves stayed in their assigned areas; the boy knew the stables like the back of his hand but the building next door might as well have been a separate star system. He had no idea where he was or where they were headed.

His struggles had weakened to a limp flailing by the time they reached a large hall that seemed vaguely familiar. He wasn't in any state to be chasing down the elusive memory and he was thoroughly distracted by the sight of his two friends. Barely recognisable beneath the bruises, blood and dirt, the girl was quietly crying in a shuddering heap on the floor, while the other boy was so still it was impossible to tell if he was breathing.

The boy tried to break free to check on them but his guard him firmly in place, near enough so the trio were in a rough line but too far away to do anything besides seethe. Fear was forgotten as anger filled him, a comforting fire after the chill of despair. He glared up at his guard, trembling from frustrated rage.

He hated that he couldn't help his friends. He hated being so small and weak. He hated being a slave. He hated his masters.

The boy's glare shifted to the man standing at the front of the small stage. He remembered the hall now; it was where the slaves were gathered for any announcements. Since slaves were kept firmly in the dark on most things, there weren't many of those, but sometimes the masters had a message.

The boy tuned out the man's speech - he'd missed the first part anyway – and stared at the part of his face that he could see from his position. He was far more well-dressed than anyone the boy had ever seen around the stables but not as fancy as the high rollers you could glimpse in the stands. How long would those expensive clothes last in the stables, where they had to clean with brooms and shovels? What would his bosses think of him if he reeked of animals and dung?

The boy wanted to knock him to the ground in the stall he slept in and smear his face into the muck that no amount of cleaning with such primitive tools could ever truly remove. He wanted to slap a shock collar on him and hold the button down for an eternity while he listened to him scream.

The man went on about the children being a warning of what happened to those who aided criminals (everyone knew he really meant damaged property and disturbed guests). He said that because they were children he was showing mercy. Instead of death, they got shock collars.

The boy fumed and wished he knew enough to be able to plan his vengeance. Somehow he would find a way to put a shock collar on him. See how he liked it.

The children were separated and reassigned to different areas. The boy worried endlessly about his friends; no one would talk to him, forget about passing messages on. He focused on his anger instead and it got him through the days.

Leaving the familiarity of the stables was terrifying but the lack of stench wasn't so bad. His new master was quick to use the shock collar but too lazy to care what he was doing as long as he looked busy and the assigned work was done by the end of the day. His main job was cleaning now, usually the dirtiest, foulest places, but it also included his new master's office.

The office was medium sized but with enough junk for a room three times the size. There was so little shelf space that objects were stacked on top of, in front of or even inside other things.

According to the man, they were all gifts from various guests or his bosses. The boy took 'gift' to mean bribe and amused himself while cleaning trying to figure out what half of the things were.

Take this weird - sculpture? Paper weight? Award? The boy found at the bottom of a chest behind several bottles of expensive alcohol. It was small enough to fit into a pocket but with a solid weight to it and beautiful carvings on its highly polished sides.

No sooner did he lift it into the light for a better look than it lit up and a hologram appeared above it. The boy nearly dropped it in his shock.

"Greetings child," the woman said. She was beautiful with dark shadowed eyes and fanciful robes.

"Who - what are you?" He asked quietly, sending furtive looks towards the door.

"This is a holocron," she said, her accent as posh as anything he'd heard from the guests. "A holographic teaching chronicle." She paused and tilted her head, "where is this?"

"Canto Bight," he spat, "galaxy's greatest casino resort for the rich and corrupt." How he wished he could just burn it all down. Sometimes – when he was forced to clean the guest room 'freshers because they were so fouled even droids wouldn't go near them – the boy focused on the image of it all in flames. It was a very small comfort but he took what he could get.

"And who are you?"

"Nobody. A slave," he said bitterly. He hadn't heard his name since before the punishment. Perversely, he no longer wanted to hear his name.

"You don't have to be," she said kindly.

He stared at her, not quite understanding. Slaves were slaves and non-slaves were non-slaves; you couldn't change from one to the other. It was just a fact of life.

"I was enslaved once," she revealed, "but I broke my chains. Freedom can be won; you don't have to remain as you are: weak, afraid, powerless."

"I'm just a kid," he argued, leaning closer despite his cynicism. How long had it been since he'd been spoken to gently? And he honestly couldn't remember anyone ever encouraging him.

"Oh child, inside you is a power that will send this vile place to its knees," she promised. "I can teach you, show you how to be strong, so strong that you will never be enslaved again."

"But how?"

"Become my apprentice, learn the ways of the Force."

"The Force!" He said louder than he intended and darted a glance towards the door. It was still clear.

"You woke the holocron didn't you?"

"But I'm no Jedi. And the Jedi are all gone anyway," he ducked his head.

"Is that so?" She remarked with a light curiosity.

"Yeah," he nodded, meeting her gaze again. "The emperor and Darth Vader killed them all ages ago, but then Luke Skywalker killed them and the Rebels formed the New Republic and he started a Jedi school but it got destroyed and he disappeared years ago."

"Disappeared isn't dead," she muttered, almost to herself. "Besides," she said more loudly, "there are Force users who aren't Jedi. The Witches of Dathomir, the Mystics of Voss, the Selkath's order of Shasa, and my own order. The Jedi were merely around the longest."

The boy nodded thoughtfully as she spoke. He hadn't heard of any of those people but then he could barely read and was lost whenever he tried to listen in on the guests. He was painfully aware of his own ignorance. And so sick of being powerless.

"You can really teach me?"

"It will be work," she warned, "you will have to train. And listen to what I say."

"I'm not afraid of hard work," he scoffed.

"Good, good," she said, nodding. "Then I accept you as my apprentice, child. With my aid you will break your chains and crush this place under your boot."

"I...thank you," he said, eyes glowing at the mental image. "I'll work hard. You won't regret it..." He trailed off, "um, what do I call you?"

She smiled. "I had many names and titles. Forcewalker, Master of the seat of ancient knowledge, Heir of Kallig. Traditionally as my apprentice you should call me Master, but why don't you just call me Nox."

* * *

 _Darth Nox, but that's not important right now. (Smirk)  
_

 _For those unfamiliar with Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO, Darth Nox is the title the Sith Inquisitor character class gains at the end of their class story; if they're Dark Side. Light side gets Darth Imperius (because you've been helping the Sith Empire so much) and if you haven't reached an alignment you get Darth Occlus (possibly because no one can tell what the heck you're doing.)_

 _The boy is, of course, the one from the end of the movie. Which looked like yet another Star Wars toy ad, complete with cute kid pretending to be a Jedi. I was just waiting for them to put the toy onscreen._


	7. Fish Nuns

**Chapter Seven: Fish Nuns**

* * *

The locals of Ach-to hadn't minded the Jedi Master visiting their island. It had been years since the last Jedi pilgrim and they had feared for the Jedi Order.

He kept out of their way, helped them when needed and was respectful of the site. Although he did add a door to one of the ancient buildings, which had split the community down the centre. Both groups argued their side until they got tired, looked up and realised that the door had been up for over a year. At which point they pretended they'd never been bothered by it in the first place.

The Wookiee was fine too. He brought his own 'house', a flying one (they used to have names for such things but only the older generation used them now. It had been several decades since anyone from the sky visited and the youngsters had never quite believed the stories.) and was distracting the Porgs from terrorising the village. His 'flying house' seemed to be catching the brunt of it, but he could always leave if it got too bad.

The villagers had shared several recipes for Porg but the Wookiee had strangely stopped eating them. Which was a pity because he was so big, surely he would have made a dent in the population and freed up workers to do things other than fix what the Porgs were destroying.

No, the Jedi master and the Wookiee were well-mannered guests. It was the girl who caused trouble. She had a name but they gave her their own name - Destroyer. It didn't even matter if they used it in her presence since she didn't speak their language and made no attempts to interact with them.

First she set up camp in one of the huts without permission, which was rude but she'd only just arrived and they hadn't introduced themselves either. They resolved to speak to her in the morning. She was carrying a lightsaber so it was possible she was the Jedi Master's Padawan. Some thought she might already be a Knight but they quickly changed their tune over the next few days.

First, she blew a hole in the wall of the hut she was staying in with a blaster. A blaster! What was a Jedi, even a Padawan, doing with a blaster? And to think they'd been so relieved she'd opted for a curtain door instead of a metal one like the Jedi Master.

She ignored them when they asked what had happened. They could be reasonable; Padawans of long ago had knocked roofs off while training but they had always helped rebuild. Sometimes it required pressure from their Master but they always fixed what they'd broken.

The Destroyer (as they'd named her that morning) had given them strange looks and called them 'things' as she trailed off after the Jedi Master. While she was distracted, the man had surreptitiously used the force to levitate the rocks back into place for them, leaving them to finalise repairs. They wondered why he didn't want her to know, but decided they probably wouldn't like the answer.

She was also reckless with her lightsaber, training against rocks and hacking them down with no thought to the consequences. Formations that had been used for meditation and - yes sometimes sparring training - for thousands of years were reduced to rubble in moments.

The destruction caused by falling debris was equally as bad. Decent wood was a sparse resource on the island and they couldn't afford to lose the few carts they had. The fright of their brush with death sent two of them to their beds for a week, covered with bruises and scratches from the shards of rock and wood. Even when they recovered they suddenly became quite clumsy because they were constantly checking the sky for falling rocks.

And then she was seen leaving the Dark Cave. Unfazed, thoughtful. They whispered amongst themselves that of course the Destroyer was falling to the dark side.

When she attacked the Jedi master they shared knowing nods and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally left. Let the newest Dark Lord go bother the rest of the Galaxy; they had some houses to fix.


	8. Background Check 1 of 2

**Chapter Eight: Background Check 1/2**

* * *

When the kid in Sith cosplay showed up at her door, Ennea Cipher knew she was in for easy money. It was a very good costume - all black, fancy cape, full helmet - but his body language was all wrong. He was furtive and defensive, more a spoilt rich kid having a sulk than a dark lord. He also lacked the chill that seemed to surround users of the dark side, an aura of dread and fear.

The lightsaber was a nice touch but even it looked off and it wasn't as though the weapon of a Jedi was hard to come by after the imperial purges.

She dragged her feet off her desk and did her best to look both professional and respectful. He wasn't the first Vader fanboy she'd met and she'd learnt the hard way that even if they weren't dark lords they could still make a mess.

He looked far too well off to be on Jakku, junk planet known in some circles as "the lesser Tatooine". It piqued her curiosity.

"What can I do for you, my lord?" She asked politely, throwing in some pandering by using the formal address for a lord of the Sith. It didn't cost her anything to cater to his delusion and often led to a bonus. Ennea liked credits nearly as much as she liked living to fight another day. And she needed credits to get off this dust bowl of a planet; she had places to go and people to meet.

"You are the investigator?" He demanded, voice distorted through his helmet. She really hoped he had some air conditioning in there. For a man in a mask he was quite obvious about inspecting her office. Ennea might have been offended if it wasn't just a room she was squatting in after killing the owner in a cantina brawl a week ago. She'd gotten as far as replacing the chair and taking his tacky art down. She left the awards up. If customers didn't read closely enough to see they weren't hers, that was no fault of hers.

"The best investigator on Jakku," she bragged, although considering it was Jakku, it wasn't saying much. Since he wasn't local, she decided to spice it up, "I've spied on senators and solved decade old murders." He was actually looking at her now, so she laid it on a bit thicker. "I've recovered stolen goods from Hutt palaces and exposed centuries old conspiracies."

"Have you tracked children?" He leaned forward in a way that might have been intimidating to someone who hadn't traversed the Dark Temple of Dromund Kaas and lived.

Well, that was unexpected, Ennea thought but didn't let it show. "How long have they been missing?"

"Fourteen years."

Ennea blinked. "Are we talking about you?" she said, unable to help herself. His age was hard to judge since he was the size of a grown man but had the mannerisms of a teenager. Had he been kidnapped as a child by wandering Sith-aesthetic enthusiasts? It would explain a lot.

"Don't be an idiot," he shouted, clenching his fists at his sides and shaking. Some of the furniture started shaking too. "I'm not some kid. Could a kid do this?" He gestured and a filing cabinet in the corner slammed into the opposite wall. "Would a kid have this?" He ignited his lightsaber and waved it around in a complex manner.

Ennea tried very hard not to frown. Fixing the hole in the wall was going to be a pain but she could always just shift stuff around to hide it. What puzzled her was the lightsaber. Why was it sparking? That didn't look safe. Why did it have those ridiculous vents beside the blade? Why was he moving it as though it was heavier than a vibroblade?

Did he make it himself following directions from a holonet vid?

"Forgive me, my lord," she said, trying to sound suitably cowed and impressed. "That many years is a very cold trail to follow. It will cost more."

"I don't care about the price," he said, stalking around the room.

"What precisely is the job?"

"I want to know the past of a scavenger who came from Jakku."

"A fourteen year old scavenger?"

"She's nineteen."

"So, she was left on Jakku at age five?" Ennea wondered how the child had possibly survived. She must have had someone looking out for her, which actually meant there should be a trail to follow. "Can you give me a name? Description? Where she lived?" Any bloody details at all? She added silently. He really wasn't very good at this.

He fidgeted a bit, probably realising he hadn't even brought a holo. "Rey," he said a touch too loudly, "no last name. Lived near Niima Outpost. Human, dark hair up in three buns," he gestured vaguely to the back of his head. Ennea managed not to laugh but it took years of experience at self-control.

"And you want to know who left her here?" Ennea started making notes on the datapad in front of her, mostly to appear more professional. If she'd needed to write something down to remember it she would have never survived as long as she had.

"I want to know who her parents were," he declared.

"That will also cost extra," she said mildly, not looking up from her datapad.

"I told you I don't care about the money!"

Her desk started to shake so she picked up the datapad. "Then you won't mind paying a deposit," she said calmly, quoting a figure large enough to ruffle a Hutt. "On completion you can pay the rest and any expenses incurred during the investigation."

The Force driven minor earthquake vanished while he visibly hesitated. It was surprisingly easy to hold the gaze of a helmeted figure without blinking, so she won the staring contest.

"Do you take First Order rubles?" He asked, shuffling to get to his wallet. He visibly started when he realised he still had his lightsaber on and deactivated it furtively, clipping it back onto his belt so quickly he clearly wanted to pretend the incident never happened.

"Credits," she told him firmly. They were a galaxy-wide standard accepted from the New Republic to the Hutt cartel. Even the Empire had used credits.

He shuffled around a bit more - that costume was not made with pockets or pouches in mind - and retrieved a credit stick.

Ennea reached for it and he held it just out of her reach, reminding her a bit too much of her childhood bully. It took her a great deal of self-control not to react the way she had to the bully and punch him in the face. (She never said she'd been bullied for long.)

"My lord?" She asked patiently.

"Tell no one of your mission," he ordered, gesturing with his other hand.

Ennea nearly winced at what was probably the most awkward, uncomfortable, brush of the Force against her mind. Training and some friends far more skilled than this poser, kept her mind untouched but she went along with his attempt at the mind trick. "Yes," she nodded with a blank expression.

He handed the credit stick over and she went about transferring the money. Returning it resulted in him repeating the awkward shuffling of his clothes which made it hard not to laugh when he switched to threats.

"If you fail me in this..." He trailed off and made a broad gesture. The already damaged filing cabinet loosened from where it was lodged in the wall and went flying out the lone window.

Ennea wanted to sigh. Did he have any idea how hard it was to fix windows in this dump? As if she didn't get enough sand and dust inside without a giant hole for the wind to blow through.

"I don't fail," she said firmly.

"See that you don't," he threatened vaguely and stormed out of the room with a dramatic swirl of his cape. It was the sort of move that needed practice to pull off with quite so much flair.

Ennea had seen better.

She counted her money and started mentally rehearsing how she was going to tell this story at the local cantina. He was far too funny to keep to herself. She wondered if he realised yet that he hadn't told her who he was or left any contact details.


	9. Background Check 2 of 2

**Chapter Nine: Background Check 2/2**

* * *

 **Later:**

Ennea's holo terminal made the most annoying sound when someone was trying to contact her. Particularly when it was the crack of dawn and one had only just gotten to sleep.

"Go away," she muttered, not awake enough to properly curse. She rolled onto her stomach and dragged a pillow over her head, accidentally elbowing the man beside her. He grunted and shifted to follow her.

"Kal, make them stop," she grumbled.

"It's not my holo," he pointed out reasonably, snuggling closer. "They're not giving up," he said after a full minute of the noise continuing.

Ennea said something unintelligible into the mattress then turned onto her back to repeat herself when Kal nudged her.

"They will if they know what's good for them," she growled. Looking up at him it was impossible to keep the scowl on her face; it had been far too long since she'd seen him. And this was to be their morning after the reunion? She didn't think so. Even if it was better than being ambushed by Gamorean bounty hunters or crashing on an uninhabited moon covered in dark side ruins.

Kal started playing with her hair.

"I'm going to add them to my list," she threatened, enjoying the attention and wishing the caller would just shut the heck up so she could focus on something more enjoyable.

"You don't have a list," he said, "I have a list."

"Well, add them to your list then."

"No."

"If you loved me you'd do it."

"You made me put in our wedding vows that I wouldn't add your people to my list," he reminded her, smirking while he played with her hair "Something about former assassins being too quick to kill."

"You could have waited until after I'd questioned him to throw that bounty hunter out the airlock," she argued, shifting a little to give him better access.

"Are you going to answer your holo?" He avoided the argument with a gleam in his eye that said he didn't regret the aforementioned spacing or its timing. "It could be a big job."

Ennea sighed. He knew her far too well. She wasn't that obsessed with money but her curiosity...well it would bug her for days if she missed such a persistent call. Besides, she really wanted to yell at whoever had woken her up.

"Fine," she said, sitting up and searching for her clothes. Her 'bedroom' was just a tiny alcove off the office she'd 'requisitioned' but it still took a while for her to find her clothes. Including her damned shoes since full body holo-calls didn't let you get away with skipping things the way a simple comm. link would.

"I'm going to kill them," she grumbled, scraping her hair back into a bun to hide her 'just rolled out of bed after a night of sex' hair. Ennea glanced at her tiny hand mirror and looked over at Kal to get a second opinion.

He sat up (which caused the sheet to slip tantalisingly down and made Ennea curse inwardly) and reached over to fix her collar to cover some faint pink marks. "I'll help you," he promised, hands lingering before pulling away. "No go see what it is. Before I answer it."

Ennea laughed and leaned in to kiss him. "Don't tempt me, love," she said, leaning her forehead against his. Taking a fortifying breath she left the room. Kal's soft chuckle followed her.

Ennea unconsciously fell into a loose 'parade ground rest' as she answered her holo. Her face settled into her professional inscrutable mask before the picture even flickered on. She needn't have bothered.

The man in the holo was dressed in the same vaguely Darth Vader cosplay as before (or Sith fanboy, much of a muchness really) but he was missing his helmet. He looked much like what she'd expected; the deeply moody 'artistic' type, prone to pouting. His dark hair was long and he had the faintest scar across his face. It didn't bode well for his ability as duelist.

He was also talking to someone off camera and hadn't noticed she'd accepted the communication. Ennea decided to wait.

"Hux couldn't plan his way out of a paper bag!" He ranted. "He's stupid. They're faster than us! This isn't going to be some slow speed chase; they're going to pull ahead and get out of range of our tracker. Why is he in charge? Why does he get to give the orders? I'm older! I'm Snoke's apprentice. Vader didn't have to take orders!" He actually stomped his foot. "Has she answered yet? No I don't want to leave a message! I'm a master of the dark side, I don't leave messages!"

He paused and because he wasn't wearing a helmet she actually saw his eyes dart over to her, patiently waiting. Very quietly he said, "journal close."

Ennea kept herself expressionless. "Do you have the credits?"

"What?" He blinked, taken off guard by her demand and thoroughly distracted from his embarrassment. Wasn't she supposed to be cowering?

"The rest of my fee," she said calmly, grabbing a nearby datapad and pretending to look something up.

"Uh, yes, of course. I've waited long enough for you to bring me results," he declared, starting to regain his equilibrium by putting the blame on her. As if he'd left her any contact information at all, or even told her what to do with anything she discovered.

"There were expenses," she cut him off before he could start ranting again. "Paying off Hutts, renting stakeout space, equipment costs of clearing out the local wildlife, guild fees, eliminating militia. You know, the usual. As I'm sure you know, my lord." She gave him an innocent look and refused to react to Kal appearing in the doorway half dressed, out of holo range and smirking at her.

"Well of course I know," he tried to recover, folding his arms and looking down his nose at her. Ennea privately mused that he should have stuck with the helmet; it had far more potential for intimidation. There was a reason many Sith Lords were known for wearing helmets and it wasn't for life support. (Although she admitted that was a practical side effect.)

The thought occurred to her that maybe someone had teased him about it. To distract herself from the urge to laugh, Ennea quoted him a price that made even Kal, smirking from the doorway, blink. Holograms were sometimes iffy with details but Ennea could clearly see that her employer's attempt at a stoic expression had a bit too much wide-eyes and grimacing to it. (No wonder he'd worn a mask; did he have any self-control at all?)

"I of course didn't mention to the Hutts who I was working for," she said, just as he opened his mouth to complain. Unfortunately he wasn't clever enough to pick up on the unspoken threat that his private research would go public - to Hutts no less - if he tried anything.

"I don't need to pay this," he declared petulantly, and made a very blatant 'mind trick' gesture. Ennea was almost embarrassed for him. "You will tell me what I want to know."

Ennea risked a glance towards Kal to warn him not to interfere. Which was just as well since he was eyeing the man on the holo the way he had the last guy he'd sent out an airlock.

"I will tell you what you want to know." She repeated dully.

There was a long awkward pause that dragged and dragged until the man in black realised he needed to ask her a question before she could answer it.

"Tell me what you found out."

"They water the Corellian ale at the cantina," she said.

"No! About the mission!"

"I need to track a girl by just a partial name and vague description."

"What did you find out!"

"They water the Corellian ale at the cantina," she repeated.

"What did you find out about Rey!"

"She lived on Jakku."

"And..."

"And Jakku has a lot of sand."

"What else?"

"It's hot?"

"No, tell me about Rey!"

"No last name. Lived near Niima Outpost. Human, dark hair up in three buns," she repeated his vague and ridiculous gesture to the back of her head.

"Tell me something I don't know!"

Oh, that one was actually hard. So hard not to taunt him outright.

"It costs more to fix a window on Jakku than to buy a speeder," she informed him, still annoyed that she'd been forced to spend her own credits fixing this dump. Ok, they were credits she won at sabaac down at the local cantina but it still counted.

He quite visibly stopped himself from losing his temper. Kal was only barely holding back laughter.

"Why isn't this working?" He grumbled.

"You're not very good at this," she said quite honestly, referring to more than just the mind trick.

"What do you know?" He retorted automatically. "What do you know of the Force?"

"You can lift rocks with it," she said, ignoring Kal rolling his eyes at her. She had to go with a stupid obvious answer or he might actually twig she wasn't under his thrall.

"Oh for..." He sighed and lowered his hand. "Do you take First Order rubles?"

Ennea blinked and made a show of coming out of a trance. "Credits."

He fumbled with his wallet again and she watched her datapad as the credits were transferred. Almost enough to make up for putting up with this tool.

"What do you have to report, investigator?" He asked, pulling on his 'I'm a dark lord' attitude once more.

Ennea glanced at the datapad and made something up. He'd made such a mess of hiring her she hadn't expected him to follow up. "Your target was abandoned on Jakku by her parents," she began, watching him nod along. She figured she had a good enough read on him by now to give him something he wanted and was willing to believe. "They were junk dealers."

"Did they sell her?" He asked eagerly. A bit too eagerly.

"For drinking money," she said, hiding her distaste for both him and the story he was spinning. "They never looked back. She waited for them."

"So, she's nothing. A nobody," he nodded to himself. "She came from nothing."

"As you say, my lord," Ennea said agreeably. She decided not to point out that pretty much every Jedi from the Republic era came from nothing and went on to greatness. It said a great deal about him and his background, that he thought only those who came from greatness - from powerful influential families no doubt - were capable of anything important. In a galaxy full of elected leaders - even if they called them queens like on Naboo - that seemed rather shortsighted.

"As per protocol, I shall now delete all records of our dealings," she said, fiddling with her datapad. It was a protocol - sometimes - although she rarely deleted any of her personal records that clients never needed to know about. Really she just didn't want him asking after records she didn't have.

"Of course," he declared, trying to sound commanding and not quite succeeding. "Good work. Tell no one of our business."

With an awkward nod he cut the connection.

"So now you're an investigator?" Kal teased gently as he wandered out from the doorway. He hadn't bothered to put a shirt on, Ennea was pleased to see.

"I can call myself an investigator if I want to," she argued.

"You do have the skill set," he admitted. "You lied through your teeth to a Force user," he cautioned, although amused by her antics on the holo.

"That costumed child was no Sith," Ennea declared, giving him a pointed look.

"A Sith would have started force choking you after you told him your price," he agreed, hand clenching at his side as he thought of how he would've reacted to such an event.

"Or lightning but that's a bit harder over the holo," she said agreeably, pointedly looking down at the odd spark that was coming from his fist. Kal noticed what she was looking at and flicked his fingers, dismissing the lightning.

"You're not worried he's going to track you down?" Not that she should be worried because he would deal with the idiot before she even noticed him but she wasn't usually that reckless with Force users.

"You didn't recognise him?" Ennea asked, greatly amused. "I looked into him after the idiot hired me for a job but didn't give his name or contact information. It wasn't that hard." Between his financial details and distinctive appearance it was simple. Not to mention the weird lightsaber that looked like it wanted to explode.

"The First Order even did a major broadcast when he officially joined them after slaughtering the Jedi Academy," she said.

"It's a temple, not an academy," he interrupted to correct her. "Sith have academies: Jedi have temples."

"You would know," she shrugged then continued with her story. "He's Ben Solo, only child of galactic heroes Leia Organa and Han Solo. He's the nephew of Luke Skywalker."

"I thought Ben Solo was a kid," Kal said. "Everywhere I've heard of him it was people talking about his 'anger of being in the turmoil of adolescence' and "dealing with anger and wanting to separate from his family'. He's got to be in his thirties, why were they all calling him a boy?"

"He was probably the media's darling growing up," Ennea mused, "they wouldn't want to change their minds about him just because he's a murderer now. You don't want to know how they've been blaming his parents."

"Oh I heard."

They shared a sympathetic look, agreeing the galaxy - and its media - were messed up.

"I'm not worried about Kylo Ren...or the First Order," Ennea shrugged. "They lost their 'Starkiller base' and made the mistake of using its one shot on the Republic's new capital, instead of its military forces."

"That's the problem with those consumed by the dark side," Kal observed, "they're more concerned with spreading fear than achieving victory."

"As if the government formed by the Rebel Alliance - destroyers of two Death Stars - didn't have fail safes in case their new capital was destroyed," Ennea shook her head. "Is that the dark side or just their leadership being extremely stupid?"

"Both," he said. "So what did you really find about this Rey's past?"

Ennea smirked that he knew her so well. Of course she had looked into the girl the wannabe Sith was so interested in. "She was caught up in that First Order incursion I was looking into earlier." Since she'd been stuck on Jakku it only made sense to find out what the First Order was up to on the planet. "She and a renegade stormtrooper made off with the droid they were looking for."

"Renegade First Order stormtrooper?" Kal asked, interest piqued. "I hear they brainwash them from childhood."

"It can't stick with all of them," she shrugged.

"It's more surprising he survived to escape," he clarified. "He could be the thin edge of the wedge."

"Anything to stick it to those fascist posers," Ennea shook her head. "Anyway, everyone was still talking about it, so it wasn't hard to ask about her. People on Jakku tend to drift here but never leave. Rey's been here for over a decade and there were still those who remember that far back - who were there."

She paused to order her thoughts and add some tension to the narrative. Kal gave her an indulgent smirk. She rolled her eyes.

"She was no slave," Ennea began. "I don't know why Darth wannabe jumped to that conclusion and I really don't want to know. She was left on Jakku by a woman who cared about her a great deal and into the keeping of a local. Which would explain why such a young child survived Jakku long enough to strike out on her own."

Kal raised an eyebrow at her, knowing she was dragging it out. There was no way she would have left it as 'mysterious woman' even if she had been stuck on Jakku at the time. The holonet existed and Ennea had a lot of contacts.

"Rey still had some medical records lying around in dusty corners," Ennea said so casually she was bragging. "So I tested a theory and did some comparisons. And what do you know, that rumour that Luke Skywalker was romantically entangled was true. Would it be tacky to send him a holo telling him his long lost daughter has run off with a former stormtrooper?"

* * *

 _Note: And some more cameos by characters from the Star Wars The old Republic Online game._


	10. Force Ghosts 1 of 2

**Chapter Ten: Force Ghosts 1 of 2**

* * *

Yoda's force ghost lingered long after Luke left, not quite manifesting into the physical world, but not disappearing into the force either. Becoming one with the force had revitalised him but he could still enjoy sitting peacefully before a merry blaze.

The great tree that had once housed the ancient Jedi texts turned out to be quite flammable. If Yoda hadn't been incorporeal he would have needed to move back to avoid being burned by just the radiating heat.

A tall robed figure materialised beside him. The faint blue glow of a Jedi spirit was washed out by the firelight. "Master Yoda," he began hesitantly.

"A question you have, young one?"

"I thought spirits couldn't affect the physical world?"

"Changed, things have," Yoda said thoughtfully, gazing into the flames.

"So...we can affect the physical world?" Came the cautious question.

"Set fire to a tree with lightning, could I, if it was not so?" Yoda grumbled, gesturing at the spreading blaze with his gimmer stick. Who knew the island grasses in such a humid area were so flammable?

The other Jedi lowered his head, admitting the point. "Thank you, Master," he said. "Excuse me, but I have some places to be."

With a grin, the spirit of Anakin Skywalker vanished.

* * *

"Put her down."

Rey went from being held high above the throne room to a collapsed heap on the floor in the time it took her to blink. She didn't know that voice and she couldn't see who spoke, but she could tell Snoke and Kylo were freaked out.

"But you're dead," Snoke gasped.

"Grandfather!"

"I'll get to you later, kid," the voice ordered, "I'm talking to the drama queen in the gold slippers."

"Darth Vader," Snoke said, glaring down at them from his throne.

Rey spun so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash and was almost disappointed to see a tall man in Jedi robes instead of the darkly armoured figure of legend.

"My name," the man said firmly, walking forward, "is Anakin Skywalker. Jedi Knight."

Snoke laughed mockingly. "Once a Sith always a Sith."

"But Grandfather!" Ben protested as the man walked past without so much as a glance.

"I will get to you later," Anakin told him fiercely. "Now be quiet while I deal with the creature you enslaved yourself to."

"I'm not a slave," Kylo Ren mumbled, kicking the ground.

"What was that?" Anakin turned to give him the full weight of his regard and Kylo backed down.

"Nothing."

"I thought so," Anakin turned back to the rapidly recovering Snoke. "That's a lie of the Dark Side," he argued, "but even if it wasn't...shouldn't you be more worried if I was still a Sith?"

"Force spirits can't affect the physical world," Snoke's sneer was almost as magnificent as his hand embroidered footwear.

By this point, Anakin was standing beside Rey and she finally noticed his faint blue glow. Did that mean something?

Anakin smirked and reached out with one hand. The lightsaber that had smacked Rey in the head when she'd tried to summon it, went directly to his hand.

"This is mine," he said.

Faster than Rey could follow, Anakin ignited the lightsaber and leapt forward. There was a humming blur of light and the next thing anyone knew, pieces of the Supreme Leader were falling to the ground.

"Poser," Anakin sniffed, his lightsaber already deactivated and back on his belt.

The praetorian guard chose that moment to react but a casual gesture made them slam back into the shiny red walls so hard they twitched but didn't get up.

Rey gaped. Kylo Ren's mouth was moving but no sounds came out.

"And now for you, Grandson," Anakin declared, stalking back across the room. Rey couldn't blame Kylo for his flinch. She was just glad she'd been pretty much ignored so far.

"Everything I did was for you, Grandfather," Kylo said quickly. "I wanted to finish what you started, I sacrificed so much..."

"You sacrificed?" Anakin scoffed. "What do you know of sacrifice? Who have you tried to save but lost anyway? What have you given up that wasn't eagerly tossed aside? How much suffering have you caused and reveled in?"

"You're supposed to understand!" Kylo backed away and Anakin started circling him.

"What I understand is that you dug up my remains to fondle my former helmet. What I understand is that you tried to kill your uncle - my son who brought me back to the light - , succeeded in killing your father and massacred the Jedi temple."

"What I understand is that you've set out to destroy everything my children built: the peace, the prosperity." He pinned his grandson with his glare, "I did not fall to the dark side for this! Everything I did was to protect my family and that's the first thing you threw out!"

"That just means I'm stronger than you," Kylo pouted.

Anakin's hand gripped the air and Kylo started to choke, grasping at his throat. Rey went very still; this was not a battle she wanted to get in the middle of. And Anakin made some very good points.

"I find your lack of common sense disturbing," he said, then released his grip. "Now you are going to order the fleet to call off the pursuit, and you," he turned to finally acknowledge Rey, "are going to get a copy of all Snoke's files. The Republic can use that intelligence to wipe out what's left of the First Order."

Rey nodded eagerly and hurried over to the console. She didn't even need any codes since it was supposed to be guarded constantly by the praetorian guard (and Snoke was nearby).

Kylo was bent over still recovering his breath and Anakin was muttering to himself. Rey thought she heard something about 'this is why they don't let force spirits get involved', but it didn't make much sense so she shrugged it aside.

Anakin nudged Kylo into action with a frown and he reluctantly took his turn at the terminal, ordering the fleet to cease and desist all action. He shouted down all arguments, which worked and didn't raise any eyebrows because everyone knew Kylo Ren was always acting like that. The officers in charge just hoped he hadn't destroyed any more rooms of expensive equipment during his latest tantrum. They were still getting grief for the last time from the repair crews. (The First Order wasn't made of money and they'd just lost Starkiller base. They couldn't afford to keep paying for his outbursts.)

"What are you doing, Anakin?" A cultured voice asked and a moment later another faintly glowing figure in Jedi robes appeared, older than the first.

"Fixing things that shouldn't have been broken," Anakin said with a dark look towards his grandson.

The older Jedi gave Kylo Ren a long searching look that made him want to find a hole to hide himself in. He settled for folding his arms, avoiding eye contact and looking sullen.

"Hmm, yes," he turned back to Anakin, "but we're not supposed to interact with the living."

"We cannot interact with the physical world," Anakin corrected him.

"Except now we can," the other Jedi noted, looking around the room. They shared a long look and the old Jedi smiled, brushing a hand against his moustache and beard. "What are you up to?"

Anakin gave him an innocent look that didn't work considering he was surrounded by the remnants of exactly what he was up to. "Can you escort the family embarrassment back to his mother? There are a few more things I need to deal with."

"Very well," he glared at Kylo then turned to Rey. "I can correct Rey's misapprehensions regarding the Force on the way."

Suddenly Rey felt like joining Kylo Ren in shuffling her feet. Instead she asked, "Who are you?"

"Master Jedi, Obi-wan Kenobi," Anakin introduced his old master with a smirk. "Now behave while I'm gone," he ordered them both and vanished.

* * *

Meanwhile on the bridge of the _Supremacy_ , two technicians were quietly arguing.

"Are we supposed to follow orders from Ren?" The first muttered, her hands busy on the console in front of her.

"He's the Supreme Leader's apprentice," the second replied, glancing around to check for eavesdroppers as he did his best to look busy.

"Hux wouldn't take orders from him," she retorted.

"Hux wouldn't take kolto from Ren if he was bleeding to death," he said.

"Where is Hux?"

"There's malfunctions all over the ship - maybe the fleet," he leaned over slightly as he shared the gossip. "He got called away to deal with it."

"What could Hux do about that?" She actually turned away to gaze at him incredulously for a long moment before she recovered her wits and turned back to her station. "The height of his battle strategy is the longest, slowest chase in galactic history. And what does he know about technical issues?"

"The mid level officers just want to bump it up the chain of command so they're not responsible when the Supreme Leader's looking for scapegoats," he shrugged.

"Office politics," she made the words sound like a curse.

"Ten credits says it's all due to something Ren broke in his latest tantrum."

"My ten credits says it's cause all the technicians are too busy fixing what he's broken to do normal upkeep."

An officer strode past and they both went quiet, focusing on their tasks.

* * *

On Canto Bight, Anakin was enjoying the chaos. For creatures so beaten and tamed, he was surprised when they didn't so much as balk at stampeding through the heavily populated casino, filled with bright lights and strange loud noises.

He wished them luck, but he was focused on ensuring the freedom of other beings right then. He stalked through the slave barracks and broke all the locks, removing the guards and slave masters with varying degrees of violence. He'd come prepared to deal with implanted bombs too but at most there was the odd shock collar which was easily dealt with by a master of the Force.

To his surprise and growing annoyance, very few of the newly freed slaves chose to so much as leave their quarters.

"You're free!" He shouted at them, "there's nothing standing in your way. You can go!"

People started cowering away from him and utterly disheartened he retreated to the beach to fume.

"Why won't they escape?!"

"Oh Ani, still trying to force the galaxy into order?"

"Padme!" He cried, spinning to face the shimmering form that had materialised beside him. "But you're not a Jedi?"

"As if I'd let that stop me," Padme Amidala said. "Freeing the slaves is a bit more involved than breaking some doors down," she explained. "It's like those poor animals the resistance freed; they'll just be rounded up again and the slaves who helped them punished."

"We have to do something, Padme," Anakin looked almost stricken, remembering his own childhood as a slave and how much worse it could have been. He had a rather accurate idea of what those punishments would entail.

"Don't worry, my love," Padme stepped closer and touched his face gently, "I've got this."

"Do you?" He teased gently, smiling down at her with admiration.

"It's simple," she said, shifting her attention to glare up at the casino. She'd always hated slavery and these war mongering would-be oligarchs reminded her of the worst of her political foes. "We start with those at the top."

Ten minutes later the casino was in even greater disarray and Padme had the ruling class of Canto bight exactly where she wanted them; over a barrel. Negotiating with an angry Jedi spirit hovering nearby was almost too easy but Padme wasn't going to complain.

The group had so much wealth between them that Padme extended her original plan to redistribute it between the local slaves to include slaves from further afield.

"Tatooine next?" She asked her husband as they watched the freed slaves leave on their new ships.

"I love you, my angel," he said.

"I know," she smiled. Taking his hand they vanished into the ether together.


End file.
